Sunny Florida?
Clouds are always fun to photograph because no two are ever the same. So likely you will be the only one with that awesome shot!
In Walt Disney World in Florida we have experienced that States ability to go from clear sky to torrential downpour in a matter of an hour. The picture above was taken about 10 minutes before we got very wet. It was worth it!
Any Disney attraction or Park yields endless opportunities for the amateur and professional photographer alike. But I don’t just want the obligatory Me-in-front-of-the-castle shot! I want weird.
So I frame some of my shots at odd angles and zoom in on strange objects in the hopes of casting them out of their usual context. This picture is off-kilter and filled with many shapes, colors, and textures.
With no real focal point, your eye is left to roam the image and rest where it wills. Where is your eye resting?
BIO: With the establishment of the Walt Disney Archives on June 22, 1970, Dave Smith joined The Walt Disney Company as the director of the Archives. As the company’s Chief Archivist, Dave was charged with collecting and preserving all aspects of Disney history and making the material available to researchers from all areas of the company. Since the company is often working on projects which reuse elements from its past, there is constant call upon the Archives for information. The Archives also answers mail, email, and telephone inquiries from the public.
In the years since the Archives was established, it has grown from a one-person department to a current staff of eleven. The Archives is located at the Disney Studio in Burbank. It has come to be recognized as a model among corporate archives in the country, and now, even though retired, Dave is still regarded as the final authority on matters of Disney history.
Born and raised in Pasadena, California, the child of librarians and educators, David Rollin Smith earned a B.A. in history and a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of California at Berkeley. Before coming to Disney, he received library and archives experience working in the Manuscript Department of the Huntington Library in San Marino, having an internship at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and serving on the staff of the Research Library at U.C.L.A.
As the Disney chief archivist Dave was an active member of the Society of California Archivists. He served from 1980 to 2001 as Executive Director of the Manuscript Society, an international association of collectors, dealers, librarians, archivists, and others interested in manuscript material.
Dave has written extensively on Disney history, with a regular “Ask Dave” question and answer column in the former Disney Magazine and Disney Channel Magazine, online on the Disney Insider, and on the D23 website, as well as numerous articles in such publications as Disney News, Starlog, Manuscripts, The American Archivist, and The California Historical Quarterly. Dave is the author of the official Disney encyclopedia Disney A to Z (1996, updated editions in 1998 and 2006 and 2015). With Kevin Neary he co-authored The Ultimate Disney Trivia Books 1, 2, 3, & 4. His book, Disney: The First 100 Years, co-authored with Steven Clark, was published in 1999 (with an updated edition in 2002). He compiled The Quotable Walt Disney, a collection of Walt Disney’s quotes, in 2001. He has written introductions to a number of other Disney books, and often lectures on Disney subjects. Dave’s latest book Disney Trivia from the Vault (2012), compiles 29 years of questions and answers from his “Ask Dave” column. In October 2007, Dave was honored with the prestigious Disney Legend award.
A Burbank, California, resident, Dave retired in 2010 after passing his 40th anniversary with The Walt Disney Company, but he continues work as a consultant with the title of Chief Archivist Emeritus.
I know, I hadn’t heard of him either until I read the bio. Yeah, right! Like everyone else, I’ve always enjoyed reading Dave’s books and seeing him on various Disney videos. His humble and friendly manner just draws you in. I was thrilled when I first met him… on Facebook. Hey, maybe someday I’ll meet him in person!
But this post is all about the interview, so let’s get right to the questions:
Q1 – What would be your Disney dream job if you couldn’t be involved with the Archives?
Dave: It would be hard to think of a dream job better than the one I had as chief archivist. I’m not really qualified for any other jobs with the company.
Q2 – What is your favorite piece of Disneyana in your personal collection?
Dave: I don’t really have a personal Disneyana collection (I always felt that it would be a conflict of interest), but I do have signed copies of many of the books on which I helped out the authors. I also treasure the Walt Disney signature I have. When I ran into Walt as a teenager at Disneyland, he declined to sign an autograph because it caused crowds to gather around him. But, he told me to write him at the Studio. I did, and he sent me the autograph.
Q3 – What is the question you get asked the most that you have the hardest time answering?
Dave: I dread the “why” questions; why did Walt do something, etc. If it isn’t written down or in an interview, then an answer is not known.
Q4 – How comfortable are you with your Disney celebrity? Does it surprise you?
Dave: It is hard for me to consider myself a Disney celebrity, but I guess I am. Most Disney fans seem to know who I am, and they appreciate the work I did at the Walt Disney Archives.
Q5 – How would the Disney Company be different if Walt was alive today?
Dave: It is hard to guess what Walt would have done with the company had he lived longer, but since he was an innovator and willing to take chances, we might have progressed to where we are today even faster. He certainly would be impressed with the technologies and opportunities of today that were not available to him during his lifetime.
EPILOGUE: I’m constantly amazed at the graciousness of Disney personalities! I truly appreciate Dave taking the time out of his busy schedule to grant this interview for Disney Nouns. I hope you feel like you know him a little better now.
One of the lesser known Tiki personas, this strange character has been spotted only once at the Disneyland Resort in California.
The Tiki Goof is known for making a fool of himself and generally drawing nervous glances from passers-by. And licking. So if you see him in person, avoid eye contact and keep moving!
Today we are sharing one of the best breakfast spots at Walt Disney World:
Trails End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Who likes a buffet? I figure if a person is going to get up within an hour of sunrise and then subject themselves to physical activity, like walking to a restaurant for breakfast, that person had better be served an insane amount of food! Yup, I say ‘Buffet Me’!
Karen and I stayed with her parents at Fort Wilderness in 2008. Now this may surprise you, but I was able to get up and be ready to go long before the woman and two older people traveling with me. I know, it seems unlikely, but I had an hour or two to kill before everyone else was ready to get their Park on!
So… I walked a bit, took a bus, and walked some more. Then I got my napkin on and enjoyed one of the best breakfast buffets in all of Walt Disney World. And here is what you can find on the menu:
Served with Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Hash Browns, French Toast, and Biscuit – $8.79
Self-explanatory and oh-so yummy – $3.19
I’ll interrupt this menu for a little story: One of the ladies serving at the take-out location would give me a little extra service when I would come in just to order a coffee and a cinnamon roll. She would put it in the pizza oven for just a moment to heat it up and nicely melt the icing. Then I would take it out onto the porch and sit in a big rocking chair, enjoy the view, the aromas, and the good times! Not all Cast Members will do this for you, so I always felt special when I was treated to this perk by my favorite server!
Editorial Update: Prices are always going up and I’m sure as you are reading this (whatever year it is) the cost of a good breakfast at Walt Disney World has skyrocketed! Do you still enjoy the most important meal of the day when you vacation at the Resorts or in the Parks?
Disneyland is The Happiest Place on Earth. Walt Disney World is The Vacation Kingdom. Both have been making dreams come true for literally decades! So what could possibly ruin your Disney Experience?
Well, here are my TOP FIVE ways to throw a wet blanket on the fun:
OK, this isn’t something you could do to yourself, unless you’ve perfected a rain dance. But attending a Park only to have the heavens open up in an attempt to drown you doesn’t usually make for an ideal day!
But this is only at number five because there are lots of things to do during a cloud burst. Take in one of the longer inside shows. Shop. Eat. Or just take a break back at the Resort. The one good thing about Florida is that if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change! And California is usually pretty sunny, so rain should be the least of your worries.
If you want to ruin your day at a Park in record time just put on your running shoes and try to break the land speed records to each ride. While you’re at it, you may as well trample some little children and knock over an older person, just to round out the experience.
Sarcasm? Yup. SLOW DOWN! Space Mountain has been blasting visitors into the darkness for decades and it will still be doing so when you arrive. Whether your arrival time is now, later, or tomorrow!
Over or under, either one can ruin your Park experience. Too much planning takes all of the spontaneity out of your day, and too little can find you standing in the Hub wondering which way to go and what to do next!
So plan enough to know where things are, when special events and shows start, and what the average wait times are for the attractions you just have to visit. But think carefully before you FastPass yourself into a straightjacket and book every meal months in advance! Things have a way of popping up and sometimes you just don’t want to eat that burger at exactly 11:34 am.
Leave yourself some wiggle room!
Sardines. Buffalo herds. Lemmings. What do they all have in common? They travel together. Way too close together, while smelling less than pleasant!
Visiting a Disney Park at peak times is a great way to see the back of thousands of heads as you are pressed between a wave of humanity while simultaneously learning if the woman to your left really has an all-day antiperspirant. She doesn’t. And yes, that is the wheel of a stroller being jammed into your ankle.
Do yourself a favor and NEVER visit a Disney Park at peak times!
By now you’ve probably figured out that I have one. But I’m pretty sure if you visited a Park in peak season, with no plan in place, and started to rush to your favorite attraction, only to have the skies open up and soak you before you got ten steps forward… you’d have an attitude too!
And just like the character Anger in Pixar’s new movie Inside Out, it can be fun to have a bad attitude sometimes! But not at a Disney Park.
No matter what happens, try to keep a positive attitude. How you ask? Remember that being at a Disney Park is better than being almost anywhere else! Think about it: You could be visiting the Dentist. Or at work. Sweating in a gym. Standing in line at the supermarket in the 5-items-or-less line with 10 people ahead of you with 50 items each.
Need I go on? Attitude people. Get yourself a good one!
So there you have it. My picks for the top 5 ways to throw a wet blanket on your Disney Experience. But seriously, don’t use them.
Oh Bother!
The hardest think about thinking a thunk is not remembering the think you wanted to thunk about. I imagine Pooh has this trouble quite often!
I was able to capture this contemplative moment during a parade at Walt Disney World back in 2008.
A few years ago, Karen and I went on a Disney Store road trip and visited about 7 different key locations throughout Canada and the US, including the flagship location in Times Square.
We visited. We browsed. We bought!
It was interesting to see how the locations differed, but also how they still maintained a similarity according to the brand. And of course, we loved finding Disney treasures!
But even more fun was seeing the many store displays and fixtures unique to each location. So sit back and scroll down for a peek at what we saw:
The highlight of our road trip was visiting Times Square (yet, I say “Never Again!”) and browsing a two-story Disney Store, with guards at the door, no less!
We were able to get some exclusive New York/Disney merchandise, and take some interesting pictures:
Hey look, it’s Mickey in New York!
When I do anything Disney, I like to have the whole experience. So it’s a combination of location, Cast interaction, merchandise, meeting other Disney enthusiasts, and of course, photographing that great Disney atmosphere!
In Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, they had a very fun and interactive parade called the Block Party Bash back in 2010. It featured all of your favorite Pixar characters.
I took a lot of photographs, but was excited to capture this out-of-context shot:
Where’d she come from?
Some of the floats had trampolines on them with colorfully dressed acrobats doing all sorts of leaps and flips. This young lady jumped so high, she cleared the top of her float and just seemed to be flying through the air when I snapped this shot.
Diehard fans know more than five reasons why Disney is awesome! But the average person, who only thinks of Disney as a cartoon factory or a place to take the kiddies, might just benefit from… a list! A list of the top five things about Disney that everyone should know.
So let’s start with Number Five:
This sits in the last spot because, although Pixar started out as a sure-fire hit maker, it has flattened out somewhat since Disney acquired it in 2006. I believe this is due largely to the Disney tendency to produce sequels over original content.
But hopefully movies like Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur will remind us all of the days when it was painful to have to wait for a new Pixar release!
Number Four:
Marvel has had a long string of blockbuster hits on the big screen. No other producer has been able to match their success, so no wonder Disney snapped them up! The Avengers movies have been crazy big and the whole stable of movie franchise characters shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
So why isn’t this part of Disney higher on the list? Because not everyone is into superheros and good old punch-em-up movies. It is good to see that, unlike with Pixar, Disney seems to be staying out of the Marvel creative process and just letting the existing talent pool continue doing what it’s been doing so well. I think this part of Disney has the potential to climb higher on the list if it’s revisited again.
Number Three:
Animation would not be what it is today if Walt Disney hadn’t revolutionized the way the world viewed cartoons back in the 1930’s. Snow White obviously dropped a bomb on the world and the impact is still being felt today!
Mention ‘Disney’ and most people will think of one of the characters/movies depicted in the wallpaper above. So why isn’t animation number one on our list? Again, not everyone, especially adults, go to see animated films. As successful as they are, many still dismiss them as mere cartoons, and spend their money on slasher flicks instead. Their loss!
Number Two:
The abc network wasn’t the best network when it first started, but now has become a leader in television programming. It doesn’t hurt that the mega sports branch ESPN is linked to it! This network has must-see programming for Disney and non-Disney viewers alike.
It rates so high on our list because of its far-reaching coverage and universal appeal. And I think there may still be some, if not many, who don’t know that the Mouse owns the first three letters of the alphabet!
And now the Number One thing you should know about Disney:
Theme Parks are all the rage these days, but Disney did it best first, and in my opinion still does it better than the competition overall. Some other theme parks might have wilder roller coasters, but those coasters won’t be themed like a Disney coaster! Some other theme parks might have trendier entertainment, but none of those shows will have the staying power of a Disney production! Some other theme parks might build an awesome attraction, but they’ll have to bow down and thank Disney for doing it first and inspiring their creation!
Destinations like Walt Disney World truly do offer something for everyone, and I really do believe that no other venue can make that claim!
Obviously Disney’s holdings don’t end at just five. From opera houses to time shares, publishing to philanthropy, Disney seems to have its four-fingered hands into everything! With that in mind, do you think I listed the right five things everyone should know about Disney, or would you substitute something else? Perhaps the Star Wars franchise that Disney has recently acquired would top your list? Only time will tell how well Disney will do with nurturing this well-established giant.
So let everyone know your picks in the comments below. Thank you!
Disleelandia 